Finding Your Rhythm: Embrace the Flute in Your 30s
Starting flute lessons in your 30s is such an exciting adventure! It may feel daunting because we often get stuck in our ways by the time we hit our 30s, but I’m here to tell you that if you find something that sounds amazing, you CAN do it starting in adulthood, and you can be amazing at it!
Starting flute lessons in your 30s ultimately gives you some advantages. First of all, your frontal lobe is fully formed, so you’re able to emotionally handle failure and success, you’re more in tune with your emotions and your body, giving you the ability to physically pinpoint things that are incorrect more quickly than when you’re younger. You’ll also benefit from having an outlet for mental health, increased cognitive function as you continue to age, and fine motor skills increase. Learning flute in your 30s can be a giant benefit to your life, so let’s get going!
The Age-Old Myth
It’s a pretty common misconception that you can’t teach “old dogs” new tricks. Well, allow me to debunk it. You’re not an old dog, and you can, in fact, learn new tricks. You have advantages above and beyond younger learners. The only thing that stands in your way is the fact that you will, like everyone else, be bad at it to start with… and that’s okay! Being bad at something gives you the opportunity to grow - to fight through adversity and to build yourself into who you would like to be. So, even if you’re bad at it, give it a chance. You’ll get better.
It’s never too late to pursue your musical passions. There’s never a perfect time to start, but all I know is that you’ll continue to age no matter if you pursue your dreams or not, so you may as well pursue those dreams and come out with a beautiful new hobby and skill in the process.
Benefits of Learning Flute in Your 30s
First and foremost, learning any musical instrument is a great emotional outlet. Music has been proven to help adults deal with burnout, depression, anxiety, and even ADHD. Learning an instrument can help build cognitive function (check out my other post about just that here) and keep your brain active as you continue to age. They say that especially those that have cognitive disorders in their families, such as alzheimers and dementia, can benefit from continued cognitive function building activities like crossword puzzles, vocabulary building, and musical instrument training.
Not only does playing flute come with tons of cognitive benefits, but it can be a big source of stress relief and personal fulfillment. Having an outlet outside of your normal life stresses and obligations can be hugely beneficial to your mental health. Music also helps you to learn mindfulness, requiring you to pay close attention to what’s happening in your body and mind - to be able to take mental note of those things without being cruel and overly-critical to yourself.
Overcoming Challenges
Adult learners often struggle with the way that they’ve learned to overcome challenges as children. For example, when we were young and in school, we learned that if we failed at something, that we trashed it and moved on to something we were immediately good at. This invades our brains as adults, so it can be difficult to let go of that. Starting out, no one is good at a musical instrument. Everyone struggles with technique and tone, and everything else. It can be especially difficult with flute, as flute is a difficult instrument to make a sound on first and foremost. It could be days of trying before you make a beautiful sound and that’s okay! Stepping back and acknowledging that failure is part of the process and every time you don’t make a sound, you’re one step closer to figuring out how TO make a sound is key. Take frequent breaks and build little goals into your practice sessions.
It’s important to bepatient and kind to yourself. Persist through the challenges and keep moving forward in the learning process. You won’t regret the time you spend working towards your goals.
Finding the Right Teacher
Finding the right teacher can be challenging, especially as an adult. So many flute teachers are used to working with younger students, students in school, and students with aspirations to become professional flutists, that sometimes we forget that adult students have lives and work and often aren’t looking to go forward into college programs. It’s important, when finding the right teacher, that you find one that tailors their curriculum to your needs, because you simply are not a cookie-cutter human. Finding the right teacher will help you thrive, building skills at your own pace.
Make sure that you’re thoroughly researching your teacher, asking lots of questions. If you can take a trial lesson, do that! Find a teacher that understands the nuances of working with adults rather than just young students because it is, in fact, different. Pay attention to whether or not the teacher has a strict curriculum for all of their students or if they tailor to each student’s needs individually. Does the teacher ask questions? Do you get along with the teacher as a person? These are all important things to keep in mind in your search. FYI - if you’re interested in learning from me, send me a message or check out my offerings here!
Setting Realistic Goals
Being kind to yourself and mindful of your time limitations can help you set realistic goals, keeping you from feeling burnt out or upset by slower progress. Think of your goals as baby steps and value progress OVER perfection.
Examples early on could be creating a beautiful low sound on the headjoint, then creating a beautiful high sound on the headjoint. These are short term goals.
Long term goals could be to make it through page 10 in your methods book. You could also aim to master your F major scale or play a certain piece that makes your heart sing.
Again, remember realistic means baby steps. You’re not going to aim to play a flute concerto perfectly by the end of your first year, but you quite certainly could play a beautiful recital piece by then.
Building a Support System
It’s important to let friends and family know that you’re on a journey with your flute playing. Having a support system to cheer you on when you do the incredible things you’ll be doing is so important. It’s also important to have people around that you can share your struggles with. This can be a teacher or friends and family. Most people will do everything they can to support you - you just need to share what you’re doing!
You can involve your loved ones in your musical journey by playing your music for them, sharing what you’re working on, sharing your triumphs, and telling them about your practice routine. By telling them your practice plans, you can ensure that no one will bother you during that time. Ask them to give you space during that time so that you can practice and work towards your goals.
Resources and Tools
Make sure that you invest in a suitable flute that will work well for a long time. If you’re interested in learning more about flute brands that won’t break the bank, click here to read my article about flutes under $1000. Having a good quality instrument will save you lots of frustration in the long run, and will live with you for at least a few years before you’re ready to upgrade. Choose wisely and research fiercely! I highly recommend trying out as many instruments as possible in the meantime.
For resources, check out the rest of my Flute Hacks blog, join the Flute Reboot facebook group, and check out the many books listed in my Flute Resources section.
Conclusion
Flute playing in your 30s can be a great way to increase cognitive function as you age. It’s also a great mental health outlet that can help build emotional coping skills. It’s easy to get frustrated, but keep in mind that every new hobby entails some amounts of failure and that’s okay. Failure is the key to success. Find a good teacher, have a good support system, and remember that you’re incredible just for trying.
Regardless of your age, you should take steps forward with the flute if you feel your heart flutter when you think about it. It’s a wonderful instrument and you can do amazing things with it regardless of your age. There are lifelong benefits that come with playing the flute and they cannot be overstated.
If you’re interested in learning the flute, reach out to me! I’m accepting students, online and in-person. Send me a message to find out about specials, open spots, and workshops. Check out my offerings page or click the pop-up to the right to learn more and book!
